Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Calls for Dismissal of Senior Security Officials

Salahuddin Rabbani, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, has called for the dismissal of senior security officials in response to the recent bloody events in Kabul. In a press conference held on Monday, June 5, in Kabul, Mr. Rabbani emphasized that the recent attacks in the capital, which left over 600 dead and injured, have called into question "the Afghan security institutions and their capabilities." Last Wednesday, a deadly explosion in Kabul left at least 90 dead and over 460 injured. Two days later, violent clashes between protesters and police resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to 20 others, and on Saturday, three suicide bombings during the funeral of one of the victims from Friday resulted in at least seven dead and nearly a hundred injured. Mr. Rabbani, who leads the Islamic Unity Party, was present at the funeral on Saturday but was unharmed in the incident. He stated on Monday that could be interpreted as accusing parts of the government of being involved in the recent attacks, saying that "the terrorists are within the system." So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the recent explosions in Kabul, and the Taliban, which has been involved in many such incidents in Afghanistan, has denied responsibility. The Taliban's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, attributed the explosions to factional conflicts among groups within the government. The National Security Directorate of Afghanistan, the main security agency in the country, stated that the suicide bombers involved in Saturday's attacks were trained at Mawlawi Ahmad School in Quetta, Pakistan, and that the bombing on Wednesday was carried out by the Haqqani Network, a Pakistani group allied with the Taliban. In naming the security officials who should be dismissed in connection with these incidents, the Foreign Minister mentioned Hanif Atmar, the National Security Advisor; Taj Mohammad Jahid, the Minister of Interior; Tariq Shah Bahrami, the Minister of Defense; and Masoom Stanikzai, the Director of National Security. The issue of incompetence and the dismissal of security officials was among the demands of protesters in recent gatherings in Kabul. They also called for the resignation of the President and the Chief Executive of the Afghan government. On Saturday, in response to the explosions at the Kabul funeral, President Ashraf Ghani acknowledged that "there are shortcomings in the work of officials" and that "fundamental reforms must be made in both the security apparatus and other departments." The President also stated that such reforms would be implemented soon and promised that "those who have failed in their duties, at any level, will face decisive action." He also announced that a special committee composed of the Attorney General's Office of Afghanistan and the families of the victims has been tasked with investigating the incident on Friday to identify the perpetrators and instigators of the shooting.